{"id":4044,"date":"2013-06-27T17:07:35","date_gmt":"2013-06-27T17:07:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/?page_id=4044"},"modified":"2026-03-26T11:38:15","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T16:38:15","slug":"complete-predicates","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/complete-predicates\/","title":{"rendered":"What is a Complete Predicate?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t\t<div id=\"mmDeferVideoEncompass_0jTv5aG6KEs\" style=\"position: relative;\">\n\t\t\t<picture>\n\t\t\t\t<source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/circle-play-duotone.webp\" type=\"image\/webp\">\n\t\t\t\t<source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/circle-play-duotone.png\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"> \n\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"eager\" id=\"videoThumbnailImage_0jTv5aG6KEs\" data-source-videoID=\"0jTv5aG6KEs\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/circle-play-duotone.png\" alt=\"What is a Complete Predicate? Video\" height=\"464\" width=\"825\" class=\"size-full\" data-matomo-title = \"What is a Complete Predicate?\">\n\t\t\t<\/picture>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<style>img#videoThumbnailImage_0jTv5aG6KEs:hover {cursor:pointer;} img#videoThumbnailImage_0jTv5aG6KEs {background-size:contain;background-image:url(\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/updated-what-is-a-complete-predicate-64c3e179be97d.webp\");}<\/style>\n\t\t\t<script defer>\n\t\t\t  jQuery(\"img#videoThumbnailImage_0jTv5aG6KEs\").click(function() {\n\t\t\t\tlet videoId = jQuery(this).attr(\"data-source-videoID\");\n\t\t\t\tlet helpTag = '<div id=\"mmDeferVideoYTMessage_0jTv5aG6KEs\" style=\"display: none;position: absolute;top: -24px;width: 100%;text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-style: italic;font-size: small;border-top: 1px solid #fc0;\">Having trouble? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v='+videoId+'\" target=\"_blank\">Click here to watch on YouTube.<\/a><\/span><\/div>';\n\t\t\t\tlet tag = document.createElement(\"iframe\");\n\t\t\t\ttag.id = \"yt\" + videoId;\n\t\t\t\ttag.src = \"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/\" + videoId + \"?autoplay=1&controls=1&wmode=opaque&rel=0&egm=0&iv_load_policy=3&hd=0&enablejsapi=1\";\n\t\t\t\ttag.frameborder = 0;\n\t\t\t\ttag.allow = \"autoplay; fullscreen\";\n\t\t\t\ttag.width = this.width;\n\t\t\t\ttag.height = this.height;\n\t\t\t\ttag.setAttribute(\"data-matomo-title\",\"What is a Complete Predicate?\");\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\"div#mmDeferVideoEncompass_0jTv5aG6KEs\").html(tag);\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\"div#mmDeferVideoEncompass_0jTv5aG6KEs\").prepend(helpTag);\n\t\t\t\tsetTimeout(function(){jQuery(\"div#mmDeferVideoYTMessage_0jTv5aG6KEs\").css(\"display\", \"block\");}, 2000);\n\t\t\t  });\n\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t<\/script>\n\t\t\n<p><script>\nfunction 6wf_Function() {\n  var x = document.getElementById(\"6wf\");\n  if (x.style.display === \"none\") {\n    x.style.display = \"block\";\n  } else {\n    x.style.display = \"none\";\n  }\n}\n<\/script><\/p>\n<div class=\"moc-toc hide-on-desktop hide-on-tablet\">\n<div><button onclick=\"6wf_Function()\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/toc2.svg\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"show or hide table of contents\"><\/button><\/p>\n<p>On this page<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<nav id=\"6wf\" style=\"display:none;\">\n<ul>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#Simple_Predicates\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Simple Predicates<\/a>\n<ul><\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h3\"><a href=\"#Example_1\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Example #1<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h3\"><a href=\"#Example_2\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Example #2<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#Complete_Predicates\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Complete Predicates<\/a>\n<ul><\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h3\"><a href=\"#Example_1_1\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Example #1<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h3\"><a href=\"#Example_2_1\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Example #2<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h3\"><a href=\"#Example_3\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Example #3<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#Review_Questions\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Review Questions<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"accordion\"><input id=\"transcript\" type=\"checkbox\" class=\"spoiler_button\" \/><label for=\"transcript\">Transcript<\/label>\n<div class=\"spoiler\" id=\"transcript-spoiler\">\n<p>When you create a sentence, there are two things that must be present: a subject and a predicate. You can include other things as well, but if one of those pieces is missing, your sentence is incomplete.<\/p>\n<p>In this video, we\u2019re going to focus on predicates. Specifically, we\u2019ll take a look at what simple predicates and complete predicates are. <\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s get started!<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Simple_Predicates\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Simple Predicates<\/h2>\n<p>\nFirst, let\u2019s define what a simple predicate is.<\/p>\n<p>A <strong>simple predicate<\/strong> is the main verb or verb phrase of a sentence. This means that the simple predicate will almost always be just one or two words.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s take a look at a couple of examples.<\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"Example_1\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Example #1<\/h3>\n<div class=\"examplesentence\">Jason walked quickly toward his next class.<\/div>\n<p>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nIn this sentence, the verb is the word walked, so walked is the simple predicate. <\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"Example_2\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Example #2<\/h3>\n<p>\nLet\u2019s try another sentence.<\/p>\n<div class=\"examplesentence\">Amber was tired because she spent all night studying.<\/div>\n<p>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nIn this sentence, there are two verbs: was and spent. The simple predicate will always be the main verb or verb phrase of the sentence, which is the verb that is most directly connected to the subject. In this case, the main verb is was, so that is the simple predicate.<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Complete_Predicates\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Complete Predicates<\/h2>\n<p>\nNow that you\u2019ve got the hang of simple predicates, let\u2019s take a look at complete predicates. A complete predicate contains the main verb and all of the words that are attached to the verb. This would include things like adverbs, adverb phrases, and prepositional phrases. <\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"Example_1_1\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Example #1<\/h3>\n<p>\nLet\u2019s look at our previous example sentence:<\/p>\n<div class=\"examplesentence\">Amber was tired because she spent all night studying.<\/div>\n<p>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nWe figured out that the main verb is was, so we need to look for all of the words that are attached to the word was in some way. In this case, tired is a predicate adjective that describes what Amber was, and \u201cbecause she spent all night studying\u201d is an adverbial phrase that describes why Amber was tired, so we know the complete predicate must be \u201cwas tired because she spent all night studying.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"Example_2_1\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Example #2<\/h3>\n<p>\nLet\u2019s try a different sentence:<\/p>\n<div class=\"examplesentence\">Caleb swam in the pool all day.<\/div>\n<p>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nIn this sentence, the main verb is swam. The prepositional phrase \u201cin the pool\u201d describes where Caleb swam, and the adverb phrase \u201call day\u201d describes to what extent Caleb swam, so the complete predicate here is \u201cswam in the pool all day.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"Example_3\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Example #3<\/h3>\n<p>\nOk, let\u2019s look at another, slightly more complex example.<\/p>\n<div class=\"examplesentence\">Jack finished his homework and played video games for a few hours.<\/div>\n<p>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nThis sentence contains a compound predicate, which means it contains two verbs that both share the same subject. The two verbs are finished and played. If we gather all of the words and phrases that are connected to this simple <br \/>\npredicate, we get the complete predicate: \u201cfinished his homework and played video games for a few hours.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ok, to wrap things up, let\u2019s go over a couple of review questions.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2><span id=\"Review_Questions\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Review Questions<\/h2>\n<p>1. What is the simple predicate in the following sentence?<\/p>\n<p>The dog waited by the door for his owner to return home.<\/p>\n<ol style=\"list-style: upper-alpha;\">\n<li>return<\/li>\n<li>waited<\/li>\n<li>to return<\/li>\n<li>The dog waited<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<div style=\"text-align: center; margin-bottom: 20px;\">\n   <button class=\"buttontranscript\" onClick=\"toggle('Answer1')\">Show Answer<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"Answer1\" class=\"showanswer\">\n   <strong>The correct answer is B.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">The simple predicate is just the main verb of the sentence. In this case, there are two verbs: waited and return. The verb waited is directly connected to the subject, dog, so we know it must be the main verb of the sentence.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n2. What is the complete predicate in the following sentence?<\/p>\n<p>Chloe and Dave arrived early and helped set up the decorations.<\/p>\n<ol style=\"list-style: upper-alpha;\">\n<li>arrived early and helped set up<\/li>\n<li>Chloe and Dave arrived and helped<\/li>\n<li>arrived early and helped set up the decorations<\/li>\n<li>Chloe and Dave set up the decorations<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<div style=\"text-align: center; margin-bottom: 20px;\">\n   <button class=\"buttontranscript\" onClick=\"toggle('Answer2')\">Show Answer<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"Answer2\" class=\"showanswer\">\n   <strong>The correct answer is C.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">This sentence contains a compound predicate, arrived and helped. The complete predicate must contain all the words and phrases that are attached to those verbs, so the complete predicate is \u201carrived early and helped set up the decorations.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nAll right, that\u2019s all for this review. Thanks for watching, and happy studying!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"home-buttons\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/parts-of-a-sentence\/\">Return to Parts of a Sentence Videos<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script>\nfunction toggle(obj) {\n          var obj=document.getElementById(obj);\n          if (obj.style.display == \"block\") obj.style.display = \"none\";\n          else obj.style.display = \"block\";\n}\n<\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Return to Parts of a Sentence Videos<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":187682,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":{"0":"post-4044","1":"page","2":"type-page","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"page_category-parts-of-a-sentence-videos","7":"page_category-video-pages-for-study-course-sidebar-ad","8":"page_type-video","9":"subject_matter-english"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4044","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4044"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4044\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":280283,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4044\/revisions\/280283"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/187682"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4044"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}